Why should you visit Tallinn at the end of November, at the darkest time of the year when there's only six hours of light? Because that's when filmmakers and fans from around the world gather for the Black Nights Film Festival aka PÖFF and make Tallinn one of the most vibrant and 'coolest' places to be.

PÖFF is one of the largest film festivals in Northern Europe, attracting an attendance of 80 000 and 1000 film professionals and press from all around the world in 2016. It is a cinephile's dream, screening an extensive and diverse selection of world cinema at various locations in Tallinn and Tartu. The colorful events programme turns cinemas, bars, restaurants and nightclubs into buzzing celebrations of culture and entertainment.

Introducing the very best of world cinema

What does Tallinn have in common with cities like Berlin, Tokyo, Moscow, Shanghai and Venice? They all host an internationally accredited competitive film festival. Since 2014 PÖFF has shared the honor of being a non-specialised competitive feature film festival with 14 other festivals around the world, including the big three Cannes', Berlin and Venice. It gives the festival a privilege to organise international competition programmes that include exciting world and international premieres, and give talented filmmakers the opportunity to introduce themselves and their work to audiences in person.

The 2017 programme of PÖFF includes:

• Official selection - 18 exciting world or international premieres from all over the world, from which the international jury chooses the winner of the Grand Prix and other awards.
• First Feature Competition – 13 world or international premieres by talented debuting filmmakers who's next film you will be dying to see. Also evaluated by an international jury.
• Estonian Film Competition – showcasing the best of current Estonian cinema.

Several non-copetitive programmes such as Panorama and Forum with more than 100 films which introduce new discoveries and a colorful selection of the best picks from other film festivals.

• Rebels with a Cause – a selection of fresh avantgarde and experimental cinema.
• Midnight Shivers – a feast for all horror, fantasy and sci-fi buffs.
• Doc@PÖFF – exploring the hot topics of the world via this year's finest documentaries.
• Fashion Cinema – all the latest gossip and the inspiration from the world's catwalks and streets.
• A special programme introducing the film culture of focus country/ region of the year – Flanders.
• 48 Hours of Finland – a specially curated marathon screening of Finnish art house cinema classis to commemorate the 100th birthday of the Finnish Republic.

And much more.

The films of 2017 will be announced in various stages during the months before the festival.

Exploring the variety of film

The two independent sub-festivals which all take place during the main festival, explore the many faces of cinema, adding around 400 short films, animations, as well as youth and children's cinema to the mix.

PÖFF SHORTS (18 November – 26 November) explores the short formats of cinema, presenting around short films and animations from all over the world, in various competitio programmes and special events.
Don't miss out on:

• Cineconcerts, exhibitions, lectures.
• Tours to legendary Estonian studios.
• Parties with the lively animation community.
• Several competition programmes and retrospectives and the unique SHUT UP! programme for animations without any dialogue or voice-over.

As a reflection of PÖFF itself, the Children's and Youth Film Festival Just Film (17 – 26 November) offers almost exactly the same, only to younger audiences.
As one of the biggest of its kind in Northern Europe, Just Film has it all:

• An international youth competition programme with a youth and children's jury picking their favourite films;
• Child rights' programme with a notable education sidebar;
• An exciting and extensive documentary showcase that ranges from extreme sports to science;
• parties, dance shows and much more.